Bullseye
by cosmo-queen
Summary: Late nights leave Hermione feeling tired and moody. And Snape isn't helping matters.


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BULLSEYE

DISCLAIMER: I'm a poor unknown writer and J.K Rowling is a famous millionaire. I wonder which one of us owns Harry Potter? Just in case you couldn't guess, it's not me! So don't sue! (Although the plot does belong to me. Everything else is J.K Rowling's and co. Right!)

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The sound of content students eating breakfast, tired students catching up on sleep, irritable students reading their timetable for the day and Professor Snape shouting at some Gryffindors met the ears of Harry, Ron and Hermione as they entered the Great Hall. Harry and Ron had started up a conversation about Quidditch and were discussing loudly and gloriously the tactics they had used in their last Quidditch match, which had seen Gryffindor triumph over Slytherin by ten points. Hermione, on the other hand, was tired and regretting having stayed up to three o'clock that morning.

On reaching the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron's voices peaked with excitement while Hermione sat down and yawned sleepily, quickly eating a piece of plain, slightly burnt toast. Drowsiness was quickly overcoming her heavy eyes, and putting her head down on a cleared area of the table, Hermione decided to go to sleep, if only for fifteen minutes. A quick nap had always worked wonders for her in the past. The commotion of the Hall was quickly fading and she was almost...

"And I just KNEW that we had won the match then. Did you see how quickly Malfoy's smirk was wiped off his sneering face?"

"I know, it was PRICELESS. I almost fell off my broomstick, so did you Ron, when I saw how far his jaw dropped."

"You know Harry, I don't blame him. That was the best bloody match in the history of Quidditch!"

"Will the both of you SHUT UP?" Hermione yelled angrily, to the surprise of Harry, Ron and half the Gryffindor table. Turning to face Ron, she exclaimed, "Some of us are trying to sleep around here, Ron. Do you know how annoying it is to be just on the verge of falling asleep only to be awoken by a Quidditch conversation, of all things! For just once in your life, would it hurt you to think of someone other than yourself?!"

"I daresay it would kill him, Miss Granger," a mocking voice said behind her. Hermione jumped, all thoughts of sleep gone. Professor Snape's smirking face came into view, and she saw the students who he had been telling off earlier shrink into their chairs. "But the Great Hall is hardly a place to be catching up on one's beauty sleep. Going to bed may help your predicament, and your foul mood. Ten points off Gryffindor for being so abrasively loud. You wouldn't want to be setting a bad example for the younger students, now would you Miss Granger."

Hermione was just about ready to point out that every single student at the Slytherin table was yelling twice as loud as her, yet funnily enough no-one was punishing them. But listening to her Potions Professor remark that she was being a bad example for the younger students, Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes. _Bad example for the younger students. Sure, I'm a Prefect, but you and I both know Professor Snape that far ruder comments have echoed down the corridors of this School. And more often than not, by your precious Slytherins. Don't be such an arrogant hypocrite._

"An extra five points off Gryffindor for rolling your eyes at me. I trust your attitude will improve immediately. Unfortunately for me, you and your idiotic friends are in my next class. I can tell you right now that I will not be tolerating any of Gryffindor's abominable behaviour in my classes." Snape cast a menacing glare in the direction of the students he had earlier been yelling at, who had by now, disappeared almost halfway under the table. "My, my, I think a little chat with dear Minerva with regards to the discipline of her House would not be out of place. I expect to see you at class on time, Miss Granger. Missing my class due to lack of sleep is out of the question."

"Are you..." Hermione started, but Snape had already swept off, headed in the direction of the Staff Table, satisfied that his morning had begun with Gryffindor 35 points down from the previous evening. 

By this stage, Hermione was fully awake and extremely outraged at Snape's suggestion that she might consider skipping Potions due to tiredness. She would never ever do such a thing, she would never ever skip any class, even if she had received no sleep at all. _I'm not that sort of a person! How DARE he even suggest such a thing? Besides, I've been far more sleep deprived than I am now, and it hasn't ever affected my schoolwork. That's right, last time I went to bed at three in the morning, I received 100% on my Arithmancy test. _Reassured by her conscience, Hermione turned to Harry and Ron to voice her disapproval of Snape's comments, sure that they had forgiven her for her earlier outburst and were equally as outraged. She was certain that they would have something to say in her defence which would make her feel better.

"Professor Snape was warning me not to skip Potions. He was _implying_ that I might skip Potions, wasn't he? You two know I would _never _do that, don't you?" Hermione asked, desperate for some reassurance from something other than her morality.

"Of course, 'Mione," Ron immediately stated.

"Definitely. But..." Harry started, glancing nervously towards Ron.

"Harry, don't tell me you _agree_ with Professor Snape! Because..." Hermione began, shocked that she was not receiving the moral support she had expected.

"No, no, it's not like that, 'Mione," Harry continued, interrupting his friend before she could get worked up enough to yell at him too. "Me, _agreeing_ with Snape. That'll be the day!" Harry laughed nervously. 

This wasn't going to be as easy to say as he had previously imagined. Both he and Ron had noticed that Hermione was always tired, and were worried about the impact her late nights would have not only on her studies, but her health. Of course, knowing Hermione, her homework was always completed, but in such an important year, sleep was one thing she could not afford to miss. Often, they would wait for her to return to the Gryffindor Common Room, only to give up when noticing the time to be one o'clock, with Hermione nowhere in sight. They'd learned from Lavender and Parvati that she would often stumble off to bed around two or three a.m, and indeed, she'd appear with drooping eyes the following morning. They had decided to confront Hermione about her late nights, but just couldn't bring themselves to do so. Now, the opportunity had presented itself, and Harry and Ron were stuck. Hermione wasn't in the best of moods, and this was a delicate subject.

"Out with it, Potter!" Hermione growled threateningly, her face taking on a stern look not unlike the face McGonagall made when she was furious.

"Hermione, we're concerned that you're constantly tired and not getting enough sleep. And like Snape said, going to bed would help the situation," Ron finished, saying what Harry hadn't manage to, and feeling rather proud of doing so, and at the fact that Hermione had not exploded at him. At least, not yet. 

"So you _are _agreeing with Professor Snape after all, Ron. And to think that you're the one who's constantly complaining about how unfair he is. Gee, thanks for your support. Next thing I know, you're going to be agreeing with him that I'm an insufferable little know-it-all," Hermione retorted quietly, her face set seriously.

"Oh Hermione, we would never think that of you and you know it. We're your friends and all we're doing is voicing our concern and trying to help you. I would be in a foul mood too if I was tired and I had to deal with Snape first thing in the morning, but it doesn't give you an excuse to be rude to us," Harry sighed despairingly, a touch annoyed at how Hermione was behaving, and secretly hoping he had made her feel a bit guilty. 

It seemed his impassioned plea had worked. Hermione was definitely feeling guilty, and knew she had to apologise. Twiddling her thumbs and looking down at the table, she started, "No, no it doesn't give me the right to be rude, and I apologise. But I have to practice, and the both of you are aware of the fact. As they say, practice makes perfect. You have no need to be concerned about my wellbeing so don't bring it up again , ok?" Hermione was now confidently looking both her best friends in the face.

An awkward silence ensued. Both Harry and Ron knew that Hermione was taking her practice to an extreme and unnecessary level. Maybe practice did make perfect, they couldn't argue against it as Hermione lived by the motto. However, they both knew, and they were pretty sure even Hermione knew, that she didn't need to practice so much. Definitely not at ridiculous hours of the night and definitely not at the expense of her sleep. However, it seemed peace had been reached, and neither Harry nor Ron wanted to jeopardise it. With a shrug, it was silently agreed between the three friends that the conversation was finished and not to be discussed anymore. They rose from the table to join the many other students milling out of the Great Hall, now preparing for the first class of the day.

Hermione smiled. Her conscience was at peace again, and so was her friendship. But she couldn't resist adding cheekily, "It's still unfair that Professor Snape took 15 points from Gryffindor because of me. I mean, I didn't do anything! At least, not anything that he doesn't let his Slytherins get away with."

'Don't worry about it 'Mione. He's just being petty. As usual," Harry replied, smiling encouragingly.

Ron, also smiling happily, ever the more so because he was on good terms with Hermione again, added, "Yeah, probably still stewing over the fact that we Gryffindors beat his beloved Slytherins in..."

"...the best bloody match in the history of Quidditch!" Hermione finished off for him. There was just no escaping Quidditch. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: The idea for this story came to me when I was playing darts, hehe. This is only my second Harry Potter fanfic, and I'm going to try and make sure that this story doesn't follow the same fate as the first one, which didn't even make it to the second chapter. I'm not too good when it comes to stories, you see. However, this one does have its chapters set out, and I've decided there will be about five of them. So it won't be a really long story, meaning I should be able to finish it. For once. Anyway, I know this chapter wasn't too exciting, just a lot of setting up really, but all unanswered questions will be revealed in the next chapter. And after all that, please stop reading this excessively long author's note and review, as I really need, and appreciate, feedback on my stories. It's inspiring :)


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